


Fragments

by lonely_no_more



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, titan shifter Mikasa Ackerman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 10:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14567232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonely_no_more/pseuds/lonely_no_more
Summary: Mikasa got to her feet and though she was a little shaky on her feet, she wouldn’t accept anyone reaching to steady her. “I have to go get him.” As she prepared to jump, she heard Sasha question who. “Her father.” And with that, she leapt from the blimp. She was a small enough target that their weapons would have a hard time getting her. But as she approached the ground, Mikasa bit her hand.





	Fragments

**Author's Note:**

> drvulpixgrant said: How about mikasa becomes the female titan's shifter after Annie gets stuck in her crystal and sees her memories
> 
> I kind of strayed from the main idea and it got a little away from me. But I hope it's still enjoyable^^

As she stood in front of the crystal, Mikasa felt a swell of emotions. She normally did whenever she came down to see Annie. It was odd, probably, to simply say she was going to see Annie. Especially when the blonde was still encased in the beautiful crystal. For a long time, she would come and angrily punch the crystal. There was one time she wanted to use her blades but didn’t because she knew it would just damage them while leaving the crystal unscathed.

She looked at Annie’s face. It was hard to imagine how she had felt. And yet, Mikasa couldn’t help but feel awed by how peaceful Annie looked. Her lashes feathered softly over her cheeks and the way her hair seemed suspended eternally as if caught by a light wind. Mikasa shook her head and just brought a hand to press softly against the smooth, cool surface. Thoughts about how _pretty_ Annie looked were best forgotten.

Once, Mikasa had hated her. _Despised_ her. So why then did she constantly get such vivid memories when she would come see Annie. And several were actually pleasant, in an almost domestic sort of way. However, rather than vivid but decent memories of being around Annie, they began to change as time went on. Mikasa wondered, quite seriously, if Annie was able to somehow project her memories to people who came to visit her. It was far too fantastical to really happen. But it still made her wonder.

After a little longer, Mikasa patted the crystal softly and murmured, “I don’t know why I’m not still pissed at you. Now, I guess, we know more about what you had to do. Armin kind of saw everything so...it made it a whole helluva lot harder to hate you, I guess.” Raising her eyes again, she once again stared at Annie’s features. “I hope you’re still alive. I wanna kick your ass still. But- well, I don’t wanna kill you. So there’s that.” She chuckled, not completely humorless, and a small smile curled her lips. It was almost pained. “We have to go to Marley.”

“I hope you’re awake when we get back,” the brunette said softly. With that, she turned and left, somehow feeling anticipation to go to Marley.

* * *

 

Grabbing Eren’s arm, she used her gear to swing out of harm’s way. Everything had happened so quickly and yet it felt like it was taking forever. Mikasa felt sick, knowing that what had happened would likely just cause history to repeat itself, driving a new generation of kids to grow angry and dedicate themselves to destroying what seemingly tried to destroy what they loved. Her heart ached and suddenly there was a memory flashing before her eyes.

A man- a man was kneeling in front of her, his head lowered. He was crying and begged her to come home. And when he raised his head, Mikasa almost lost her grip on Eren. His eyes were like Annie’s eyes. It had to be Annie’s father. As soon as they were safely with everyone else, Mikasa sank to the floor and clutched her scarf with a trembling hand.

“Mikasa!”

She jumped, gasping when she felt the hand on her arm. Even though her heart was racing and it almost felt as if she were going to die, she didn’t lash out when she saw it was Sasha. The other girl looked at Mikasa worriedly. “Mikasa, are you injured? What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m not injured...” she replied weakly.

Sasha still looked unconvinced and gently pressed, “Are you sure? You were hyperventilating and you’re crying...”

“I’m...crying?” Mikasa whispered. Her hand left the fabric of her scarf and she touched her cheek to feel the heat and wetness of tears.

“Mikasa.” Both women looked up to see Levi. His arms were crossed and expression serious but there was just the slightest curve to his brows that told Mikasa he was concerned. “If you’re injured, you need to tell Braus. She’ll give you first aid until we get back.”

Quietly, she mumbled, “I’m not injured...I feel like I lost someone important.”

Levi’s eyes widened and he asked, “Who?”

“I...don’t know.”

From beside Hanji and the pilot, Armin stated, “I feel the same. Like I just lost family.” Everyone looked at him and the young man sighed. He looked so tired. “But I think it’s because I have Bertholdt’s memories, which came from getting the colossal titan from him.”

That sentence struck Mikasa hard. If she was suddenly seeing Annie’s memories so vividly, had the blonde died in the crystal? Was she going to get back and just find a corpse? A sob left her throat and Mikasa suddenly doubled over, trying to stop herself from crying. She didn’t even hear Eren’s voice as he spoke over everyone else’s worried exclamations. Then, everything was instantly brought back to reality as the blimp shook. Levi snapped, “Sonnuvabitch, they’re shooting at us.” He readied his gear again to swoop and at least disarm the soldiers.

“Let Mikasa go,” Eren stated. Everyone instead stared at him. “I think there’s something that needs to happen.” He was healing much slower than he used to. The lines on his face were barely gone. “I think you’ll know where to look,” Eren murmured cryptically.

Mikasa got to her feet and though she was a little shaky on her feet, she wouldn’t accept anyone reaching to steady her. “I have to go get him.” As she prepared to jump, she heard Sasha question who. “Her father.” And with that, she leapt from the blimp. She was a small enough target that their weapons would have a hard time getting her. But as she approached the ground, Mikasa bit her hand.

* * *

 

She could hear people screaming and see them running away as best they could, save for what soldiers there were. However, with the musculature and some of the black crystal, any attacks did little no damage. And though there were so many running, there was one that didn’t- he only stood and stared up at the titan. Mikasa likewise stood and stared down at him. She instantly knew his features from the memories and knelt before him. “Is Annie…” He lowered his head and sighed, “You can’t answer me like that, I know.” The man looked up at her in shock when she lowered a hand for him. “Are you actually going to take me to her?” When Mikasa nodded, he started to climb into her palm but she noticed him struggling. Instead, she carefully scooped him with her other hand and hurried away. As she ran with him, there were shots firing and Mikasa closed her hands over the man to protect him. The blimp was low enough that Mikasa was able to extend one hand up and Levi rappelled out to tug Annie’s father into the blimp. At the same time, Armin had descended to lift Mikasa up as she exited her titan.

As soon as she was safely inside, she heard Eren say, “I thought maybe that was it…”

“Because I have Bertholdt’s memories and it felt like I had lost family, when Mikasa said the same thing, it must’ve been because she had Annie’s memories,” Armin reasoned. When Eren nodded, the blonde man sighed, “I’m beginning to think you’re really changing, Eren. And I’m not sure if I should be excited about it or frightened.”

“So...you’re the colossal titan,” Mr. Leonhardt murmured. He gave a humorless laugh. “You certainly don’t look like you should be.”  

Armin sighed heavily and looked away. “Why do people always say that?”

“Well, up until a few years ago you weren’t exactly the tallest person and you’re still an inch shorter than Mikasa,” Sasha offered quietly.

“A half inch,” Armin the blonde boy corrected under his breath.

Annie’s father looked vaguely bewildered. “You certainly don’t act like demons.”

Levi retorted, “Because we’re not. We’re people. Like you are.” He looked at the man evenly. “I can promise you, if we were demons, Mikasa wouldn’t have gone and gotten you so she could bring you to your daughter.”

The man glanced at Mikasa. “Mikasa. A pretty name. You’re from Touyou?”

Her expression changed. “Touyou?”

“You...aren’t?”

Mikasa knelt beside him, asking urgently, “Touyou, is that where the Asian clan is from?”

Annie’s father felt his heart sink. “You don’t know about the world?”

Sasha explained, “In the walls on Paradis, we thought we were the only humans who had survived the titans. We thought we were all that was left. Mikasa is the last Asian in the walls.”

“The last…” Mr. Leonhardt raised his eyes to look at Mikasa, tears starting to gather. “We were waging a war that the other side didn’t know was going on.” He put his head in his hands. “And I raised my daughter to participate.”

There was a collective moment of silence before Mikasa wrapped an arm around the man’s shoulders and whispered, “You didn’t know the truth. None of us did.”

* * *

 

During the flight back to Paradis, Mikasa sat with Mr. Leonhardt and recounted the time that they knew Annie and openly admitted her former resentment. “I used to hate her,” Mikasa said quietly, “but that was before we knew any of what happened.” She paused and then added, “I’m sorry. That’s probably not something a father would like to hear.”

“It isn’t,” he answered, “but considering the circumstances, I understand.” After a moment, a weak smile curled his lips. Mr. Leonhardt added, “I appreciate your honesty.”

“It’s odd. I saw her right before we left. I stood in front of her crystal. I told her that I hoped she’d be out when we get back. Not that I realized that I now have the female titan.” She touched her scarf briefly but couldn’t quite bring herself to look at Eren. It would take time. “I hope she’s alive. I really do. I’d like to confront her about everything. But it isn’t like before.”

“The heat of the anger has passed,” the man finished, “now all you want is answers.” He asked, “Do you have all of her memories?”

“I’m not sure. A lot of it is pretty fuzzy. But everything with you has always been very clear,” she murmured. “You were the most formative force in her life.”

His expression grew sad. “I was too hard on her. But I just wanted her to survive. And come home.” He wiped at his eyes. “So I could see her one more time before the Curse of Ymir…”

Mikasa gently touched his shoulder. “I understand. It...won’t be the same because she might still be in the crystal. But she’s still there, Mr. Leonhardt. So you can see her again.”

“My name is Andrei, by the way. So you don’t have to keep calling me Mr. Leonhardt,” he mentioned.

“I think maybe it’s Annie’s memories but there are a couple times I’ve nearly slipped and called you dad,” Mikasa admitted. Her memories- Annie’s memories, really- flashed back to the last time Annie called him dad. She was about to leave for her mission and Andrei looked proud- so proud. Annie didn’t speak then. Only accepted the hug and then started off towards the carriage waiting for her. She was sitting and glanced back as she whispered, “Bye, dad.”

Andrei’s eyes widened and then, unexpectedly, he asked, “Does she...have any happy memories of me?”

She grew quiet, trying to figure out if she could see the memories just like she could her own. “There was one where she was very young. Very little. She had a nightmare and you went to her room and she remembered waking up on your chest. It made her happy. And she felt safe. There’s other memories but that one in particular stands out.”

“I’m glad...she could remember me fondly.”

“The memories are much fuzzier now,” she confessed. “I don’t know why. Maybe it means Annie is still alive.”

A small smile curled the man’s mouth and he murmured, “I’d like to believe that.”

* * *

 

It was hard to go see Annie and find her still in the crystal. It was even harder for Mikasa because she stood and watched Andrei almost collapse to his knees. Something she remembered would be hard for him because of how Annie had retaliated so long ago. Mikasa rushed to catch him and set him in a nearby chair instead. “Be careful of your leg,” she murmured.

“Ah, yes. I almost forgot about that,” he responded ruefully. Andrei gazed at his daughter; it was difficult to see her trapped in crystal, eternally frozen. He cried openly and reached out, his hand trembling as it finally rested on the smooth surface. “You grew up so beautifully,” he whispered softly.

Mikasa was suddenly remembering sitting at a table- presumably in the kitchen from Annie’s childhood home- and watching Andrei hugging a blonde woman. Her hair was loose and fell past her shoulders in soft waves. But it wasn’t until she turned to look at Annie that she felt her heart start to beat faster. The woman’s smile was so soft and beautiful- the joy she felt from Annie’s memories made her understand one thing very, very clearly. This was Annie’s mother. And Annie loved her.

“Annie had her smile,” she said. When Andrei turned in his seat to stare at her, Mikasa blinked, surprised by the words herself. “It was rare to see her smile. But every once in a while, she would.” She paused and looked at Annie before adding, “Her smile was...pretty. But sad.”

Andrei went quiet and glanced back at his daughter. “She looks just like her mother. She’s beautiful.”

She agreed quietly, “Yeah. She is.”

* * *

 

The only clear memories were those about Annie’s father. Even memories of her mother were fuzzy at best. However, there were moments that a stark clarity of Annie’s emotions during their years training together would stand out. Often memories that Mikasa shared would happen and for the first time, she finally felt as though she understood Annie’s words during those times. It was always odd seeing things from the other side.

In her room, Mikasa had a little corner of her desk cleared so she could have tea with Mr. Leonhardt. Since they had returned to Paradis, the young captain found herself spending more and more time with the man. Very often, they'd sit and talk about Annie and her memories. But it was starting to become more of a habit for the man to ask Mikasa about her day in general and ask how she was sleeping. As she got close to finishing her last cup of tea, Andrei chuckled out of the blue. It made her smile a bit. “And what has you laughing?” she asked.

“I was just thinking,” he answered, “you're the type of person I would've wanted my daughter to marry. If, you know, she hadn't have gotten into the Warrior program.” Andrei laughed outright at the look on Mikasa's face. “Is it so wrong? You're dependable. Strong. Alarmingly intelligent. By your own admission, you could keep up with Annie in a fight. Those are the kind of traits I'd like to see in a spouse for Annie. I can't imagine she'd want someone weak-willed or too talkative.”

The compliment made her cheeks redden significantly and she mumbled, “Th-thank you.” It felt like such a rare occurrence to her that Mikasa wondered if Annie’s memories were mingling with her own feelings, making a difference in how she perceived things. Yet, even as she pondered this, a feeling like relief washed over her. And as she tried to think of Annie’s memories to see if her hunch was right, the memories were too blurry in her mind. “I think...Annie is awake.” Mikasa leapt to her feet and bolted in the direction of Annie’s crystal.

“W-wait!” Andrei cried. He followed as quickly as he could, limping heavily after the young woman.

As soon as she had opened the door, Mikasa was met with the sight of Annie laying amongst huge chunks of crystal that were steaming away, almost evaporating directly from crystal into gas. “Annie…”

There was no movement for a while and when Andrei finally appeared in the doorway, he was panting heavily. He could only stare; Andrei looked as if he’d been struck across the face. When he finally saw her hand twitch, the man whispered, “Annie?” He glanced to Mikasa with a curious look, silently asking if he could approach and hold his daughter. As Mikasa helped him to kneel, Andrei murmured, “Thank you, Mikasa.”

She could only nod and went to stand in the doorway, thankful that it was the dead of night and no one was really up. Her heart lurched when she saw the blonde flinch and start to shakily push herself up onto her hands and knees.

“Annie?” the man tried again. His eyes widened when Annie’s head shot up, their gazes finally meeting for the first time in years. “You’re alive…” Andrei murmured, voice cracking. He started to cry, throwing his arms around Annie and tugging her close.

Meanwhile, Annie looked utterly bewildered. Everything was still coming together for her. Her vision was still in and out but she knew her father’s voice, knew the feeling of his arms around her and the familiar cologne he always wore. It was just like before she left for her mission. His voice begging her to come home. But the room around them wasn’t home; Annie wasn’t quite sure where they were. “D-dad…?” she whispered, voice hoarse.

“I’m here,” he soothed. “I’m here.” He gently pet her hair as he held her, crying against her shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” Andrei choked out, “I should’ve done better.”

“How...how did you get here?” Annie croaked.

There was a long pause as Andrei pulled back slightly to look at Annie properly. He then turned his head in answer, staring at the very reason he was there. Softly, he replied, “Mikasa.”

Annie was shocked to see Mikasa in the doorway, especially after everything that had transpired before she went into the crystal. But what was more shocking to her was the fact that Mikasa was turned away respectfully, head bowed to give some semblance of privacy to their reunion. “Mikasa…?”

Mikasa didn’t say anything immediately, hesitant to interrupt the moment between father and daughter. After a second longer, she answered, “Yeah?”

“ _Why_?” she whispered.

“Because you were only trying to go home,” she replied, “and I prevented you from doing that. Even when you had completely given up on trying to capture Eren.” The young woman glanced at Annie, her eyes filled with sadness. “I understand what you did and why. I _saw_.”

Blue eyes widened in horror as she realized there was an unnatural but familiar glow in Mikasa’s eyes. “You’re...the new female titan? But then how am I-”

“I suspect that the transfer of titan powers doesn’t necessarily kill the prior host,” Mikasa explained, “but there is the Curse of Ymir still. Maybe your crystal preserved your body from deteriorating like most hosts and you were in so long that the ability moved on without killing you.”

Annie stared at her. “So you’re telling me that you think I’m still alive because the last years of having my titan ability were spent in a crystal stasis.”

“Which prevented the Curse from aging your body,” she finished.

There was a long pause as they held one another’s gazes. “That still doesn’t explain why you haven’t killed me,” Annie muttered.

“I told you,” the shifter answered, “I prevented you from going home. So I brought the person you most wanted to see, that way he could at least see you.” She wasn’t sure how to take the look on Annie’s face. Mikasa finally looked away and mumbled, “I will need to report you’ve been freed from the crystal. But I’ll wait until morning. I want to give you both a chance to talk.” She smiled weakly and then shut the door, leaning against the wall just outside.

* * *

 

Annie was interrogated and then put under strict supervision. And, logically, that was Mikasa’s supervision. Annie’s memories were nearly inaccessible now that she was awake and Mikasa figured it was better that way. They were all gathered for tea- coffee in Mikasa’s case- one afternoon when Andrei asked quietly, “How long have you actually had the female titan?”

Mikasa hummed. “Not very long. The first time I shifted was when I went to get you.”

“What? But your control was perfect,” the man replied.

“Well, that’s hardly surprising,” his daughter muttered. When her father looked at her in confusion, Annie questioned, “You don’t know her name?”

“Mikasa?”

“Ackerman.”

Andrei’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “What?”

The blonde woman shot Mikasa an accusing glare. “My father has been here in Paradis with you for over a month and you never told him you’re an Ackerman?”

“It never came up,” Mikasa answered simply.

Quietly, he mumbled, “That would certainly explain quite a bit…” Andrei raised his eyes to look at her again. “You certainly have more Asian features than you do any others. But it must be your strength and control that is the Ackerman side.”

Annie grumbled, “You have no idea.”

“I wonder...will the Curse of Ymir even affect you?” he thought aloud.

Mikasa sipped at her coffee. “Guess we’ll find out in thirteen years.”

“You just sound so nonchalant about it,” Annie growled.

It was tense between them again. The taller girl sighed heavily and murmured, “Armin is working hard to find something that will nullify the titan ability. But it isn’t quite that easy. Eren only has four years left. Armin has nine.”

The information seemed to strike Annie hard. Her eyes widened and she whispered, “Armin is a titan?”

She paused, seeming to be mulling over a response. “I don’t know how else to break the news to you. So I guess all I can do is tell you the truth.” Mikasa set her coffee cup down and murmured, “Armin is the colossal titan.” After a moment, looking at the haunted expression on Annie’s face. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to really be sorry for...except...I wouldn’t have wished it on Armin,” she murmured sadly.

One of Mikasa’s brows rose in slight surprise. “That’s what bothers you? Is that now Armin is a titan shifter?”

“If you think I’d really be sad about Bertholdt being dead, you’re mistaken,” Annie mumbled. “After everything that happened, I find it very hard to be sad for them.”

Andrei was deathly silent, choosing to keep out of the conversation. All he did was reach over and gently set his hand over Annie’s, giving it a small squeeze in reassurance. Meanwhile, Mikasa saw the way that the father and daughter were slowly rebuilding their relationship. And, despite being happy for them, her chest hurt. She wished for the same thing, knowing she could never have it. “Well. I’m sorry that it happened to Armin as well. He...deserved better.”

“All of you do,” Andrei finally said. “Our governments have pitted us against each other and the people of this island had no idea for years that Marley was waging war on them. They just thought that these titans were appearing and eating people.”

“But, unfortunately, the Eldian people were under the control of the royal family for ages. And the people in Liberio have been given all this propaganda about the ‘Eldian devils.’ We’re kind of _fucked_ either way,” Mikasa exclaimed.

“That’s...a very concise way of putting it,” the man agreed, fighting back a smile.

The exchange between Mikasa and her father made Annie crack a small smile, oddly happy to see her father interacting and seemingly enjoying the company of someone Annie had trained with in the walls.

* * *

 

As the weeks continued and things were prepared in case Marley tried to attack the island again, Annie got more comfortable around Mikasa and her father. It was while they were watching Mikasa train in her titan form that Annie murmured, “It’s weird. Seeing someone else with the female titan. It hurts a little.”

“Hurts?” Andrei questioned.

“To see someone else with the titan I worked so hard to obtain...and I couldn’t even finish my mission,” his daughter explained.

There was a pause as they watched Mikasa use some of the moves Annie knew; it was odd but Annie knew logically that Mikasa would undoubtedly know her fighting style inside and out. After just a little longer, Andrei said, “It hurt when I first came here. And you were still in that crystal. I would sit in that chair and just stare for what felt like hours, wishing harder than anything else that I could take it all back.” He kept watching Mikasa as he mumbled, “So for this girl to have that titan and to have known you...it felt like it was the closest thing I’d get to having you with me again.” Tears rolled down his cheeks.

“Dad…”

“Mikasa said that she came to get me so that she could bring me back to you.” He paused briefly before he added, “I think...maybe it was her way of atoning for the things she thought she did wrongly.”

Though Mikasa had said she wanted to bring Annie and her father together again, Annie had been a little uncertain at first. But if her father felt that way...then it must hold some weight. And it was really refreshing to the blonde that Mikasa was that concerned with Annie and her father that she wanted to fix it. It wasn’t until later, when it was time for Mikasa to lock Annie into the room assigned to her, that the blonde said, “Mikasa, I...want to thank you. For bringing my dad to me.”

Mikasa looked shocked by the gratitude and replied softly, “Of course. I...thought it was the least I could do. Especially after everything…”

“I know. And. I really appreciate it,” Annie murmured, her cheeks slightly pink. “It really does mean the world to me. I honestly...never thought I’d see my dad again.” She bit her lip briefly but then raised her eyes to look at the brunette.

The shifter felt her heart start to race. Mikasa had never really gotten to see Annie’s eyes like she did right then: Annie actually looked _open_. Her expression wasn’t flat or guarded. It was like seeing her in a new light, compared to when she had last seen Annie looking honestly relieved. “I’m...I’m glad I could bring you two back together. Your memories...things were tough but you still really loved your dad. I wanted to somehow bring closure.”

“You did.” She finally lowered her gaze and began to step away from the door before she realized Mikasa stepped closer. Looking back up at the captain, she questioned, “Mikasa?”

“Can we talk?”

Annie was tempted to be a smartass but decided against it. “Of course.” She turned and walked further into her small room, sitting on her bed to see Mikasa close the door and then grab the rickety little chair that was in the corner to sit down. “What did you want to talk about?”

“There’s a lot I want to talk about,” the captain responded seriously. She paused to momentarily put her head in her hands and then run one hand into hair as she sat back up. “I guess what I want to start with…” Mikasa rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled awkwardly. “I think...before...I hadn’t grown up yet.”

“You’re not much older now,” Annie replied slowly.

“It’s been four years,” she pointed out. Mikasa explained, “My anger had time to cool, I guess. And I’ve...also learned that there’s more people that I can care for. I’m not limited by a belief that only Eren and Armin are my family. That they’re the only people that care.”

The blonde looked at her incredulously. “It’s taken you four years to realize that?”

Mikasa retorted in a deadpan, “I’m trying to have a candid conversation with you _and_ I’m going to apologize if you stop patronizing me.”

Her brows shot up at the admission. “You’re...going to apologize? For what?”

“Well, to start with, trying to kill you,” the brunette answered lightly.

“Y’know, technically, we tried to kill each other, so I think that kind of cancels out,” Annie stated, looking fairly apologetic but also uncomfortable.

The captain shook her head but sighed, “Well, if you say so…” She added, “Also...I’m sorry for some of the things I said. I obviously didn’t know everything at the time but still. In retrospect and also having your memories...I know that I made it sound like you were a monster. But you were just doing what you had to do.”

Annie shrugged and leaned back on her bed, folding her arms under her head. “I guess I could’ve stopped.”

“You couldn’t after what happened…”

It hung in the air, almost thick enough to make Annie feel nauseous. She muttered, “Look, about that-”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Mikasa interrupted. She kept her gaze on the blonde as Annie promptly raised her head to stare at her in shock. The captain looked pained; she’d seen the memory and felt what Annie felt. Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes. “What he said was manipulative and he knew it would be the right card to play. He _knew_ what you wanted most. And he _preyed_ on it.”

Strangely, Annie looks as if Mikasa had physically struck her. “...do...you think that’s really what happened?”

“That _is_ what happened,” the captain retorted. She sighed and ran a hand over her face again as she continued, “Armin saw it through Bertholdt’s memories. And that’s how he saw it- he thought that Reiner was being manipulative.”

The blonde girl rested her head back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling in bewilderment. She didn’t think that anyone would ever see it that way, especially considering what the interaction had ultimately led to. Annie shut her eyes and let the tears roll; she felt her body tremble as a wave of relief washed over her. She brought a hand to rest over her eyes as a sob left her throat. Having someone validate her emotions finally made Annie feel like perhaps she wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d thought. After several moments, she felt the bed dip but didn’t say anything, not even feeling enough energy to protest.

“Annie?” When there was no response, Mikasa gingerly put a hand on Annie’s shoulder. The blonde didn’t pull away. Mikasa bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if she should risk more contact. But, deciding it was worth the risk, she gently tugged Annie to sit up, bringing the former shifter’s back to lean against her chest. Then, gently, she wrapped her arms around Annie’s shoulders and rested their heads together. “You felt like you didn’t have any other choice,” she whispered.

A choked sob escaped Annie as she shook in Mikasa’s arms. It hadn’t been something Annie would expect from Mikasa, considering the animosity between them only years prior. Yet, there she was- Annie Leonhardt, former holder of the Female Titan- held tenderly in the arms of Mikasa Ackerman, the new Female Titan and also the woman who had nearly killed her. “Why?” she cried.

Mikasa felt tears slide down her own cheeks as she questioned, “Why what?”

“Why are you doing this?” Annie sobbed. Her voice cracked.

The silence between them was only broken by Annie’s crying slowly dying down. Eventually, once Annie was simply shaking, Mikasa answered, “Because. I understand now.” Softly, she whispered, “We’ve all done terrible things. It’s what we’ve had to do to survive. I can’t hold what you’ve done against you because I’ve done similar things- if not worse.” Mikasa simply held Annie close for a time in utter silence before she murmured, “The world we live in is so cruel. We’ve all had to do reprehensible things. There’s no black and white. There’s no good and bad. All there is...is people trying to survive during war. And doing what it takes to do that.”

Eyes staring blankly at the wall, Annie murmured, “I guess then...we can both be not-so-good people together.”

“Not-so-good but not-so-bad,” Mikasa chuckled humorlessly. “Just...human.”

Annie smiled, finally closing her eyes. “Yeah. Just human.”


End file.
